Out of the Darkness and Into the Fire
by LadyShadowhawk
Summary: AU A Neutral femme is 'rescued' by a Decepticon force led by Starscream. Please note the M rating for later chapters. * this is on hiatus/may be replaced by 'Dark Spark!*
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE:**_ I do not own Transformers in any way. All characters (except for the OC) are NOT MINE._

_Also, PLEASE note the 'M' rating for later chapters. This story WILL get quite violent and WILL contain non-con slash (Skywarp/OC, Thundercracker/OC, Skywarp/TC, Starscream/OC)...You've been WARNED._

Shaba was alone…always alone; even with a battle raging on, she was still alone. She was neither Autobot nor Decepticon…she was a Neutral...and an outcast. She would only watch helplessly as her world was torn apart, literally.

Cybertron was doomed ever since the start of a great civil war. Two factions waged an endless battle that only ended after all of the planet's resources were used up. The precious, life-giving energon was no more; the survivors forced to seek new worlds in search of some form of energy to keep them functioning.

Shaba was abandoned; left on Cybertron and with no energy resources, certain death awaited her. She still searched every ruin for _something_. Only, there was nothing…nothing at all.

She lay, systems slowly on the verge of shutdown. _"So this is how it ends"_ she thought, sadly.

The darkness fell on her, her spark dimmed…motor and memory functions ceased to preserve her spark as long as possible…but even that was running out.

Darkness…and death…

…then bright light

Shaba's optics flew open and she instinctively raised a hand to block out the blinding light. She then sat up, looking around. Shaba felt energy like she'd never felt in a long time. She then scanned her unfamiliar surroundings; she was on a metal table in a large room.

"Where the slag am I?" she thought aloud, jumping off of the table and slowly walking towards the entrance to the room, also noticing that she was completely alone.

"Hello, anyone here?!" she called out, confused as to who rescued her and why was she in this unfamiliar place all alone. Shaba walked out of the room and down a long, also brightly lit, corridor.

Then, a piercing sound cut the silence and red lights flashed in the corridor. Shaba gave a yelp of surprise and fear; she must've somehow set off an alarm when she walked out of that room. She then quickly ran back in and sat on the metal table again, waiting and hoping that whoever it was that rescued her wouldn't think that she tried to escape.

"Well, well, well…look who's finally online" Starscream sat back with a chuckle, watching the monitor showing the medical bay where the femme was. Starscream had returned to Cybertron to look for any other Decepticons. The Autobot forces were ever growing in number and continuously defeating the Decepticons in the war to gain the planet Earth. Out of desperation, Starscream left Earth and traveled back to Cybertron and neighboring systems.

He did find a few stragglers on a nearby moon; lesser Cybertronians, but they would make decent soldiers…and Cybertron itself…the lone femme. Starscream wanted to leave her, as he wanted soldiers who could fight, but as he looked at her, he just growled and lifted the femme and carried her to his ship, not really sure what to do with her at the time. He just shrugged as he left her for the medic drones to repair her "she _might_ be of use" he grumbled as he readied his ship to return to Earth.


	2. Chapter 2

**NOTE:**_ I do not own Transformers in any way. All characters (except for the OC) are NOT MINE._

_Also, PLEASE note the 'M' rating for later chapters. This story WILL get quite violent and WILL contain non-con slash (Skywarp/OC, Thundercracker/OC, Skywarp/TC, Starscream/OC)...You've been WARNED._

_With that, I hope that all following this story are enjoying it. This is my first published fan fiction, so please do leave reviews and also if you have any questions. _

_Thanks!_

Ch. 2

Shaba continued to wait in the medical bay, her thoughts a confusing jumble. _"What the slag is going on here?!"_ she just shook her head and shut her optics.

Then, she heard the door to the medical bay quickly open and quickly looked up in that direction. Two large figures, definitely Cybertronian mechs, entered the room and motioned Shaba to follow them to wherever they were headed, hopefully they could answer her many questions.

Shaba leapt off of the table and followed the two large figures down a long and bare corridor. It was also quite cold, sending chills through Shaba as she quickly walked to keep up with the two. She thought it strange that they said not even one word to her. They also looked battle-worn, their armor covered in scratches and dents. She saw symbols etched on their armor, but had no idea what side they were on, the Autobots or the Decepticons. She then thought that they were from a neighboring system, knowing that there were those similar to Cybertronians and several derivatives of them, as well.

They continued to walk down several long corridors and up a lift, then yet another corridor, until they reached a large door. One of the two mechs punched in a code and the door opened into a large room filled with computers and other high-tech looking equipment. Shaba just stared in awe; this must've been some sort of operations base…but _where?_

Shaba then saw another Cybertronian, sitting and looking at one of the monitors, back turned to her. She saw two large wings protruding from his back…bearing the purple insignia of the Decepticons.

Shaba gave a small gasp of fear and surprise _"Why did it have to be the Decepticons that found me...why couldn't it have been the Autobots, instead?"_ she thought. Shaba was a neutral, but she'd thought about joining the Autobots, seeing that the Decepticons were little more than ruthless killing machines.

Shaba didn't like this at all and stayed behind the two mechs, somewhat cowering in fear.

"Now, femme…don't hide from me…I know you're here" the seated figure gave a low, cruel chuckle and got up, turning to face Shaba and the two soldier mechs.

Shaba gasped in surprise at the sight of the winged Decepticon; she'd seen this one before…that face looked so familiar…so _evil_.

Starscream smirked as he saw the femme, looking so frightened in his presence. He walked down to her, stopping only a few feet before the two soldiers while Shaba still stood behind them.

"Get out of the way!" Starscream spat at the two, who quickly obeyed and moved over, allowing Starscream to walk up to Shaba.

Shaba stood, frozen in fear, as the winged mech ordered the soldiers away and walked up to her. He then stopped, crossing his arms across chest, his optics burning red. Shaba had no idea what he wanted…was she a prisoner…mistaken to be an Autobot? Or, perhaps these Decepticons did have a spark after all and actually felt pity for her, thus rescuing her from certain death?

Starscream stood before the femme, studying her for a few moments. His processors scanned her exterior form…her armor…any weapons...any sign that she was one of the Enemy. He saw nothing of the sort _"So, she is a Neutral…funny, I thought they were all wiped out or fled to other systems"_ he thought.

He finally spoke "So, femme…are you indeed, a Neutral?" the mech asked, his vocal processors a low growl.

"Y…yes, I am…I have never been associated with either faction…I was abandoned as a sparkling long ago" Shaba nervously replied as she continued to look up into the crimson optics of the large mech standing before her.

Starscream only frowned at Shaba's response. _"__Useless"_he thought, coldly, but he continued on, anyway.

"So, you've ever been attacked? Ever fought in any battles?...

…Ever had your spark threatened by another's rage?" The mech's growl faded into a menacing hiss as he asked the last question, taking a step closer to the femme.

Shaba gasped as fear took over her processors as she responded by the mech moving closer to her by moving further back. "N…no, never been in any of those situations" she replied, shaking her head.

Starscream's optics narrowed at her response, as well as her moving away from him. "Oh? Tell me, femme…then why should I continue to let you stay here? I should return you to the very place that I found you…and you will _die_" the mech growled, anger clear in his voice.

"Please, no…I…can make myself useful, train me to fight…I'll do it…anything you want…" Shaba paused.

"Starscream" the mech replied immediately.

"Yes, Starscream…like I said…please give me a chance. I will not fail you" Shaba was literally pleading now.

"Oh, and since you told me your name…mine's Shaba" she quickly added, trying to get Starscream's seemingly dark mood to lighten.

Starscream merely grunted and shot a glare at her. "You think I care what your name is, _femme_?!" he snapped, causing Shaba to cringe. "I only gave you mine so you know who to address as your superior" he continued.

Starscream then suddenly turned away from Shaba and walked back to the monitors. "So, you plead loyalty to the Decepticon way?" he asked, sternly.

"I do" Shaba replied curtly.

Starscream immediately turned back towards Shaba, his crimson optics locked onto her emerald ones.

"And just what makes me believe that you honestly mean that?!" he snapped once again and rushed Shaba, grabbing her roughly by the back of her neck, then throwing her face first to the floor.

He stood over Shaba as she groaned in pain, getting to her feet. "You will learn that I am not a merciful leader. I do not tolerate incompetence and I absolutely do _not_ tolerate failure, _understood_?!"

Shaba quickly got back to her feet, fighting back the urge to cry, as she knew that would greatly anger Starscream. She looked up at him, frightened. "Y…yes, Starscream" her voice came out in a whimper.

Starscream just shook his head at Shaba's reaction. "Oh, and I will not treat you any more kindly because you're a femme…in fact, you will learn that you will only be treated worse" his optics narrowing and voice in a low growl. Starscream was thoroughly enjoying Shaba's display of fear towards him, giving him a sense of power…the feeling that he desired above all others.


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE:**_ I do not own Transformers in any way. All characters (except for the OC) are NOT MINE._

_Also, PLEASE note the 'M' rating for later chapters. This story WILL get quite violent and WILL contain non-con slash (Skywarp/OC, Thundercracker/OC, Skywarp/TC, Starscream/OC)...You've been WARNED._

_Yes, I __am__ getting around to the 'fun' in this story. I just felt that I needed to give some background on my OC (Shaba). And since this is an AU (based off G1), I also had to set the stage a bit and establish the canon characters' roles (Starscream as leader) and environment (Earth). _

_And, as always, please R&R and ask any ?s, if you have any._

_Thanks!_

Ch. 3

Shaba sat quietly in her quarters, working on an intelligence report on Autobot forces. It had been several weeks since she was taken from near death on Cybertron by Starscream and forced to join the Decepticons. Shaba found out that they inhabited a primitive world named Earth and that there was an ongoing war with the Autobots to claim the planet as their own, as there were valuable energy sources here.

However, after that frightening initial encounter with Starscream, things were going rather smoothly for Shaba. Since she wasn't originally designed for battle, Shaba had no weapons or heavy armor at all. Now, as a Decepticon soldier, she was fitted with a plasma cannon, stun ray, and also battle-grade armor.

Shaba also learned that she had to blend in and, as the other Decepticons had done so already, change her appearance to mimic an Earth-based machine. She spent the better part of a day exploring the surrounding area outside of the bunker with a fellow Decepticon, Soundwave.

He was growing ever impatient that Shaba hadn't made her decision yet and directed her to a nearby facility that she identified as an military operations base and saw several primitive looking vehicles parked in orderly rows.

"Hmmm, those things actually _fly_" she turned to Soundwave, chuckling slightly. He nodded in agreement "Make your choice quickly; Starscream will be quite angry that we've been out of the base for so long" he reminded her.

"Yeah, sure…hold on" Shaba quickly replied as she scanned the aircraft, her data processors identifying the various planes and their capabilities. She then gave a frustrated sigh and walked to another part of the base…then she saw it, parked outside of a solitary hanger at the far end of the facility; stark black and angular…and quite deadly looking. "Yes, that is it" was all that Shaba said before scanning the aircraft and, seconds later, assuming its form.

"Yes…very good, now we must return" Soundwave turned and immediately started back towards the command bunker. Shaba followed suit, quickly transforming into her F-117 form and followed Soundwave.

She could not have been any happier now and marched right into the control room, showing off her new form for anyone that was there. Shockwave turned, annoyed "Quiet down, I'm trying to work here" was his response. Shaba just laughed and quickly apologized to the Decepticon 2nd in command, then continued to parade around the room.

Shaba then froze in her tracks, feeling a presence behind her. She slowly turned around and came face-to-face with Starscream, who didn't look pleased at all.

"Oh, sorry, commander…guess I got a little carried away" she said, a bit of nervousness in her voice.

"_A little carried away_?!" Starscream snapped in response, and then grabbed the femme roughly by the neck. "Just _who_ do you think you are, femme?!" his iron grip only got tighter around Shaba's neck, causing her to yelp in pain.

Starscream didn't let up at all on Shaba. "I've been noticing you are growing more and more arrogant and that I was hoping that Soundwave would warn you before I did…but that fool kept letting you have your way. Now, here's _my_ warning" Starscream hissed.

He released his grasp on Shaba, then landed a vicious punch to her face, connecting squarely with her jaw and knocking her to the floor. She slowly got up, rubbing her jaw, energon trickling from her mouth. Her optics were wide with fear and a solitary tear streamed down her face. "N….no more, _please_!" Shaba pleaded, bowing before the Decepticon commander.

Starscream only regarded the femme coldly, but he didn't have time to fool with her as there was still much work that needed doing. He glared down at her as she regained her composure and stood, awaiting his next action.

"This isn't over, femme. You will report to my quarters at _exactly_ 11:00 tonight…and if you're not at my door at that time, I will personally deactivate you. _Is that understood_?!" he roared.

Shaba only nodded at first, drawing another angry growl from Starscream. "Y…yes, commander" she stammered and bowed again.

"Very well then…do _not _forget" he warned as he turned and left the control room, leaving Shaba in a near wreck. Why had she forgotten Starscream's warning so soon? Shaba just shook her head as she quickly walked out of the room and up the corridor to her quarters. She then lost it as soon as she entered her quarters, sobbing uncontrollably.

Just what exactly did Starscream have in store for her?


	4. Chapter 4

**NOTE:**_ I do not own Transformers in any way. All characters (except for the OC) are NOT MINE._

_Also, please note the rating…there __will__ be violence and SLASH in this chapter (and probably all following chapters, too)._

_I had a reviewer ask me if Megatron was going to be in this fan__fic. The answer to that is NO,__ Megatron is presumed to be dead and Starscream is in full command of the Decepticons. Yes, I am basing this story from G1 characters, but I've added an AU 'twist'…no Megs, for example…and a meaner, nastier Starscream._

_Also, one minor change is that I will be referring to time with 24 hour (military) time (so 11:00p.m. is 2300 hours)…I think it sounds more formal that way._

_And, as always, please R&R and ask any ?s, if you have any._

_-Thanks!_

Ch.4

Shaba slowly awoke from a restless and fitful recharge. "_Slag, almost time"_ she thought as she gave a frustrated sigh and sat up on her recharge berth, yawning and stretching her limbs.

She felt a jarring pain as she yawned, a hand rising immediately to rub the part of her jaw where Starscream had struck her. Shaba just groaned as she dreaded having to see the Decepticon commander again and having him inflict more pain on her.

Shaba then slowly got to her feet and wandered over to her study, adjacent to the sleeping area of her quarters. She then sat down at her desk and quickly looked over some intelligence reports she had been working on, making sure that they were completed and ready to present to Decepticon command the next day…and Shaba had a bad feeling that this little 'meeting' with Starscream wasn't going to be quick, either.

The reports looked good and ready for her presentation, so Shaba tidied up her desk, then got up and started heading to her commander's quarters, which were two levels up and on the other side of the bunker.

She slowly walked up the corridor which contained her and other Soldiers' quarters, then took the lift up to the command quarters corridor. She then noticed that a drone mech was standing guard outside of the lift. "Identify yourself and state your reason for entering the command level zone" the drone said in a monotone growl as it towered above Shaba, brandishing a stun ray.

"Ah…commander Starscream wanted me to, uh…see him in his quarters at exactly 2300 hours" Shaba replied, nervously. The drone just stood silent as it processed her information and found it to be correct. "You may proceed…last door on the right" was all that it said and stepped to the side of the corridor to let Shaba pass.

She gulped in fear as she slowly made her way up the brightly lit corridor. Shaba glanced at the doors that lined the hall. They all had the names of the Decepticon command. She recognized two of the names, Shockwave and Soundwave…both of whom she had met. There were two more doors with names that she didn't recognize, though…Skywarp and Thundercracker. "_Hmmm, don't think I've met those two, yet_" she thought as she was now at the last door on the right…Starscream's.

It was exactly 2300 hours as Shaba stood outside the door to Starscream's quarters. She hesitated, unsure if she was to simply wait outside for him or use the intercom and announce her presence. Shaba waited for another minute, and then went to activate the intercom. Just then, the door slid open, revealing a lush and highly decadent living space…but no Starscream.

Shaba gave a puzzled look, afraid to enter the room. She then shrugged and walked in, immediately looking to the adjacent sleeping area, which also seemed void of anyone, but was just as luxurious. She wandered into the room, gazing in awe. "_This is nice_" she thought as she saw the huge recharge berth that was covered in what appeared to be fine material…silk, as she referred to her database on Earthen materials. "_So, Starscream's taken a liking to the culture on this planet, I see"_ Shaba continue to study other things…those soft, cushiony things known as 'pillows', another material called 'marble', black and streaked with gold and silver…precious metals…and ones that the humans treasured greatly.

_"Go figure, it's valuable and rare and Starscream treasures it, also"_ she thought, giving a slight chuckle. She then turned and headed back into the living space, afraid that Starscream would be angry if he caught her wandering around too much in his quarters. However, there was still no sign of him. Shaba then sat down in a large and comfortable chair and waited, thinking that the Decepticon commander got held up by some last-minute issue or whatnot.

She had failed to see the Seeker known as Skywarp, who had been in the room since Shaba arrived, and had been teleporting here and there to make Shaba think she was alone. He then saw her finally sit down and reappeared behind the chair that she was sitting in. Starscream's orders were simple, give the femme a nasty surprise and have his way with her until the Decepticon commander returned.

Skywarp's twisted grin widened as he was now right behind the unknowing femme; he hadn't even _seen _a Cybertronian femme in many years. He didn't even know of Shaba's presence in the bunker until only an hour ago as Starscream made his request to him. Skywarp literally jumped at the opportunity to 'greet' the new femme…and hey, it would be much more fun than his usual late evening ritual of overindulging on hi-grade with his wing mate, Thundercracker. Skywarp shuddered at that thought…the over energizing made the two Seekers do some downright _crazy_ things to each other.

Skywarp shook those thoughts from his processors and focused on Shaba, who appeared to be slipping into recharge. He wanted to meet her face-to-face, to see the fear in her optics when he confronted her. He slipped around to face Shaba, who still did not notice him standing there.

Shaba had slipped into recharge while she sat in a chair in Starscream's quarters, waiting for the Decepticon commander to return. She then suddenly felt a presence before her…an energy field, and a powerful one, at that. She immediately opened her optics and gave a surprised gasp, noticing that the towering figure before her, while similar in appearance to Starscream, was not him.

"Well, well, well…looks who's awake" Skywarp leered, optics giving a cruel glare towards Shaba. "W…who are _you_?...and where's Starscream?" she asked, nervously as she scrambled to her feet, shaking off her tiredness.

Skywarp gave a low, evil chuckle as he eyed Shaba up. "_Mmmmm, so beautiful"_ he thought, lustily. Shaba did not like the way this mech was looking at her at all and tried to step back from him, but she was caught between him and the chair. "Ah, please…I'm just…waiting for Starscream to return" Shaba explained, thinking that maybe this mech was guarding Starscream's quarters and had no idea why she was here.

"Oh yes, I know…Starscream sent me here to 'introduce' myself to you. My name's Skywarp, fellow Seeker and Lieutenant to Starscream and part of the elite Decepticon Air Command" Skywarp replied with a chuckle

Shaba just nodded as Skywarp's reply and started to calm down just a bit when the Seeker suddenly and violently wrapped a hand around her neck. She gave a loud yelp and instinctively fought the hold, which only angered Skywarp.

"Now, femme, don't fight me" Skywarp hissed and threw Shaba into the chair she had been sitting in earlier. He then wasted no time advancing on her, settling his large frame upon her slender one. Shaba protested loudly and put both hands to Skywarp's chest and managed to shove him back some, then quickly jumped out of the chair and moved behind it, using it as a shield against Skywarp.

"Oh, you want to do this the hard way, femme?" Skywarp gave a low growl; he was becoming very angry with Shaba's actions and then disappeared into thin air. Shaba gasped at the act, unknowing of his teleportation capabilities…until now. She then saw a black and purple arm reach around and yank her backwards. "What the frag?!" she cried as Skywarp's grasp only tightened around her neck, causing much pain.

Skywarp only gave a cruel laugh as he had caught the femme completely by surprise. "I'll make you pay for that, you slaggin' glitch. No one…_and__ I mean__ no one_…pushes Skywarp around" he growled. "_Well, except maybe Thundercracker_" he thought, smiling to himself. He then leaned his face close to Shaba's, his arms moving her so that she could face him and making sure he was restraining her so that she couldn't shove him away this time. "Oh yes, my lovely…_my naughty_…little femme" he hissed into her audio receptors "_You are mine"_ he went in, yanking Shaba against him and locking lips with hers in a forced kiss.

Shaba fought as much as she could, but Skywarp was just too powerful. She then felt his lips upon hers, then his tongue, forcing its way into her mouth. She tried desperately to pull back and break the kiss, but couldn't. It tasted awful, too…nasty unfiltered hi-grade energon; she wanted to gag.

Skywarp's hands then released hers to explore her body, finding seams in the armor and slipping fingers underneath the plating to stroke and tug at wires and cables and sensitive circuitry. She felt a plethora of sensations, none of which she'd ever felt before. Shaba gasped and shuddered as feelings of ecstasy swept through her. She could also feel her internal systems giving off more and more heat and her intakes began to cycle air more rapidly. She grew frightened now as Skywarp continued his attack and, out of desperation, she gave a shriek of anger and rage as she mustered enough strength to break his grasp.

Skywarp fell back, losing his footing and actually falling over. He immediately sat up, optics burning with hate and rage towards Shaba. "I've had enough of you, glitch…time to bring the pain!" he snapped as he started to get to his feet, then he stopped, optics widened as he looked to the door…it was Starscream.

Shaba saw Skywarp's reaction and immediately turned and saw the Decepticon commander walk through the door, partially relieved that Skywarp wouldn't be able to attack her any further.

Starscream looked down at Skywarp, who was still sitting on the floor. "Can't even deal with a mere femme, Lieutenant?" he asked, smirking and holding back laughter "Good thing Thundercracker wasn't here to see that…you'd hear no end of it from him" Starscream continued, then turned serious. "You're dismissed, get out of my sight. I gave you orders to _hurt_ this femme, not pleasure her…and even then, she still managed to get the upper hand" Starscream growled, his crimson optics narrowing at the fellow Seeker.

Skywarp just bowed in acknowledgement. "Apologies, commander" was all that Skywarp said as he quickly turned and exited the room. Shaba was frightened now, after listening to Starscream berate Skywarp about being too easy on her. She was too afraid to even move as Starscream went and shut the door to his quarters, and then locked it.

Starscream then turned back, walking towards the cowering femme, not stopping, not even slowing down as he clenched his hand into a fist and connected with the side of her face, dropping her to the floor. He wasted no time, grabbing a wing and yanking Shaba back to her feet, then wrapped a hand tightly around her throat.

"So, did you enjoy pushing Skywarp around and making a fool out of him?!...Huh?!"Starscream snarled as he singlehandedly lifted Shaba by the neck, then threw her several feet across the room. She groaned as she tried to move, but her systems were too damaged and exhausted and she lay still on her side, crying.

"N…no, please stop!" Shaba weakly cried out as the Decepticon commander approached her yet again. He glared down at her, then took an arm and yanked Shaba to her feet, once again.

"Kneel before me, femme" Starscream ordered Shaba. She only nodded and slowly knelt, wincing in pain as she did so.

"I will forgive you this time…but make another mistake and I _will_ put you in so much pain that you wished you no longer functioned, _understood_?!" Starscream growled, menacingly.

Shaba lowered her head "Yes, Starscream" she replied, softly.

"No, femme" Starscream snapped. "From now on, you will address me as 'Lord' Starscream. Is that understood, _femme_?" he took his hand and lifted Shaba's chin so that her tearful optics met his.

"Y…yes, _Lord_ Starscream" Shaba trembled in his grasp, actually exciting Starscream. He wanted to take her, but she had to earn his respect, first. Starscream then turned and walked to a monitor on the wall, summoning a medic drone to his quarters.

"Get this femme to the med bay and repair her damage" Starscream ordered when the drone arrived. It carefully picked Shaba up and she gave one more glance at Starscream, who only returned a harsh glare.

It would soon become time for Shaba to prove herself that she was a Decepticon.


	5. Chapter 5

**NOTE:**_ I do not own Transformers in any way. All characters (except for the OC) are NOT MINE._

_*Please note the 'M' rating…it's there for a reason! This chapter contains non-consensual situations and also [slight] slash*_

_Yes, I am alive and kicking and I hope to continue this fic through its entirety. _

Ch. 5

Shaba was just coming out of a fitfully long recharge, her processors repeatedly going over the last night's events. She just stared at the bare ceiling of her quarters, not having the will or energy to get up or to even give the voice command to switch on the lighting in the room; Shaba just wanted darkness right now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Skywarp had returned to his quarters after being admonished by his Commander, Starscream, and sent away after failing to impress him. However, the Seeker warrior was not angered at his superior…he was angry at the femme that had managed to embarrass him.

He sat on the edge of his berth, in a silent rage; he wanted revenge.

Heavy footfalls snapped the ebony Seeker's attention back to reality and Skywarp looked up, expecting to see Starscream…or perhaps Shockwave, coming by to have a chat.

It wasn't either…it was better than them…his best friend…his mate…had finally returned.

Thundercracker

"What the frag are YOU doing back so soon!" was the first thing out of Skywarp's vocalisers as he shot up from the berth to wrap arms around his weary and worn-looking wingmate.

Thundercracker smiled warmly with the feeling of the embrace, returning the favor, then shuffled over to the recharge berth and sat down with a groan of exhaustion. Skywarp immediately went to his stores and brought two cubes of hi-grade, handing one to Thundercracker.

"Ahhh…read my mind, Sky!" TC exclaimed as he downed the contents of the cube in one gulp, then letting himself fall back so that he lay on the berth, optics offlined.

"Primus, you must've had quite a time out there…find anything exciting?" Skywarp asked, putting his unfinished hi-grade down.

"Yes…I found several possible new energy sources; one is actually quite close by. However, those Auto-punks are also interested and are scouting the same locations. We must hurry and act quickly if we are to take them. I will prepare a report for Command next mega-cycle…right now, I just need to relax." TC replied, still lying on the berth.

"Well, you can crash here for the night. I….have something that I need to take care of" Skywarp took the rest of his hi-grade and downed it, then turned to leave his quarters. TC glanced up at the departing Seeker, slightly puzzled. He'd thought for sure that his wingmate would not want to leave his side after he had been gone for so long…and TC really wanted to be in Skywarp's arms more; he missed that above everything else. The blue Seeker quickly fell into recharge, hoping that Skywarp would return quite soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Shaba had finally gotten to her feet and shuffled over to her desk to work on an intelligence briefing to give to Shockwave, not wanting any reason for Starscream to punish her again. 'I better just stay on his good side as much as possible' she thought, sitting in the calming darkness...save for the glow coming from the terminal monitor.

But the femme started nodding off and soon fell into a light recharge at her desk…

…and Skywarp made his move.

The door to Shaba's quarters slid open silently, Skywarp making sure to not make any sudden, quick movements. He slipped into the darkened room, pressing the button to close the door and activated the locking mechanism.

The Seeker then made his way over to the desk where the femme was sitting, still in recharge. 'So beautiful…so vulnerable…so _mine_' he reached for a wing, barely touching it…fingers trembling slightly from the sheer excitement of all this.

This was way better than playing pranks or even being with Thundercracker.

Those purple fingers left her wing and slid to her faceplates, covering her mouth components.

The femme's optics flew open, but her scream was muffled by the hand over her mouth. Skywarp immediately yanked her backwards, pulling Shaba out of her chair and forcing her to her feet. She tried desperately to claw at that arm holding her tight, but to no avail; she had almost no energy in her to put up a fight this time.

Skywarp continued to drag Shaba backwards until he bumped into her recharge berth. He then spun around, flinging her onto it with him right on top of her. The heavy weight of the Seeker bearing down on the femme's smaller, more delicate frame caused immense pain for Shaba and she screeched in agony, tears streaming from her optics.

"Mmmmph…GET OFF OF ME!!!" Shaba screamed, her vocalisers partially muffled because she was being shoved face-first into the berth. Skywarp only laughed as he bore down even harder; the sound of armor plating being bent and damaged could be heard. Shaba could also feel internals being damaged and that unmistakable taste of energon welled up in her mouth.

The Seeker warrior then let up, but only for a second…to flip Shaba over so that she lay on her back now and could look up at him. She coughed up energon and continued to pant heavily, looking up in fear at her attacker. "Ah, owww…why are you doing this? I thought…Starscream had forgiven me" Shaba pleaded, looking up at Skywarp through tear-filled optics.

"_Lord_ Starscream may have forgiven you, glitch, BUT I HAVEN'T!" the Seeker roared and flew into a fit of rage, throwing a hard right into the femme's jaw. Shaba screeched in agonizing pain at the blow; energon trickled from her mouth and down her chin. "Primus, please...I didn't mean to embarrass you, Skywarp…just PLEASE stop this!" Shaba sobbed uncontrollably, her body trembling from the shock and the trauma that had been inflicted to her systems

Skywarp only snorted at Shaba's pleas for mercy. "What do you think I am…an AUTOBOT?!" he snarled and raised a fist, looking like he was about to land another blow to Shaba's faceplates. However, the hand moved downwards, towards her chest plating; a menacing look of cruelty and malice gleamed in the mech's crimson optics.

The femme's optics widened in terror as a hand brushed over that area, tracing seams at first. Then, Skywarp started wrenching the plating open, revealing Shaba's Spark casing; the glowing blue orb filling the room with a warm light. Skywarp looked down at it, then back into the femme's optics, giving an oh-so chilling grin. Shaba's intakes hitched, immediately fearing for the worst. She could just see Skywarp smashing a fist through that Spark casing and tearing her life-force right out and extinguishing it…just like that.

However, the Seeker warrior had other ideas…worse ideas. His other hand went to his own chest and opened the glass canopy that housed his Spark casing and withdrew some wires. Shaba gasped…those were interfacing cables; she had never actually performed this process…and Skywarp was definitely NOT a mech that she wanted to interface with.

"Awww, little femme…I see that I am about to be your first mech" Skywarp mocked, noticing that Shaba's Spark casing still bore its original seal. She just sobbed and her hands involuntarily pressed against Skywarp's chest, but very weakly. The Seeker then proceeded to attach the interfacing cables to access ports that were located just below the spark housing; chuckling at the sight of Shaba sobbing, optics offlined.

She waited for that overwhelming surge of power to enter her systems…that sickening laughter ringing in her audials; she had to offline her optics…she was too humiliated to look at Skywarp while he did this.

The next thing that the femme heard and felt was a sudden yell by someone else entering the room, followed by Skywarp's form immediately shifting away from her, a full connection by the cables having not been made. Shaba's optics reactivated and saw the form of the Decepticon Commander standing over the berth, roughly pulling his Lieutenant away from Shaba and sounding completely enraged.

"What in the Pit do you think you're doing?!" Starscream interrogated harshly after forcing Skywarp back towards the door. The ebony Seeker growled in anger and frustration, glare fixed on the femme, who was now curled up on her berth, still sobbing. "Exacting my revenge on this little slag-eating glitch…THAT'S what I was doing!" he snapped, yanking an arm out of his Commander's grasp. "You did not have orders to further punish the femme when I dismissed you from my quarters and I am infuriated right now by your blatant disrespect for me"

Skywarp looked at Starscream, growled, then started to turn away to leave Shaba's quarters. However, Starscream grabbed a wrist, unsubspacing a pair of restraining cuffs. His glare met Skywarp's, who stopped, giving what sounded like a mix of a sigh and a growl of frustration.

"I am tired of this, Skywarp. You cost the Decepticons the victory in our last battle with the Autobots with your disrespect and stupidity, I will NOT tolerate it in our own domain. You need to learn, Lieutenant, that I am no longer your wingmate like Thundercracker is…I am your Superior and I will NO LONGER BE YOUR KEEPER!"

With that, the cuffs were placed on the Seeker warrior's wrists and Skywarp just stared blankly ahead into the corridor. Starscream then commed two guard drones to report to their location. They arrived shortly after and took ahold of Skywarp, brandishing shock sticks. "Take him to the brig and make sure to set the anti-teleporting net around his cell" Starscream ordered. "C'mon Boss…the _brig_?! Can't I just be confined to quarters…I mean…TC's back" Skywarp stammered.

"Oh, I'm supposed to feel sorry for you, Lieutenant? That's what happens when you disobey an order…that's what happened when I disobeyed Megatron. I am ruler of the Decepticons now, my orders are to be followed and I will not grant you leniency just because you are a fellow Seeker." Starscream replied coldly. He then dismissed the guards with a wave of his hand and they escorted the black and purple Seeker off to the brig.

He almost forgot that the femme was there during the exchange with Skywarp until he heard the crying and coughing coming from the other side of the dimly lit room. Starscream immediately activated the full lighting and gasped. She was streaked with her own energon and her chest plating had been brutally wrenched open. Shaba trembled in fear as the Decepticon Commander approached her, not being able to tell what his intentions were.

Starscream then commed an order for medic drones to report with a full med cart. They were there quicker than the guards were and brought with them a sort of hovering stretcher that they used to lay the femme onto, being especially careful handling her near her exposed internals. She screeched and yelped as she lay down, but felt relieved after she was situated on the stretcher. Shaba looked up at Starscream, not having the will or energy to speak, but just silently thanking him for intervening when he did.

"I apologize for Skywarp's actions. He was NOT under orders to further attack you."

He paused for a moment, looking over at the computer terminal and the report that Shaba was working on.

"You will be fully functional again by the next mega-cycle. You are then to be on berth rest for another mega-cycle. The drones will come to check in on you; I will also have your quarters to be restricted access…only drones, Soundwave, and I will have access to this room." Starscream replied, then walked over to the computer terminal and extracted the data drive that contained the unfinished report.

"I will take care of this. After tomorrow, I will have Thundercracker send you the data from his scouting mission and you can prepare that report"

The Decepticon Commander then summoned the drones out of the room, Shaba in tow, and watched them enter the lift that would take them down to the medical ward.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Starscream had settled in his quarters for the night…after that mess with Skywarp, he was in need for a nice long recharge. There was just one thing that he wanted to do, however.

He walked over to a wall that was covered with monitors which showed every part of the Decepticon bunker…his own private version of the security monitors that were also in the main control room. Starscream was leader, and he wanted to know what was going on.

He pulled up the image of Shaba's quarters, empty and dark now, of course, but with a few button presses, he had the image of Shaba right when Skywarp attacked her.

He sat down and let the horrible scene play out in front of him…every second. The Decepticon Commander gazed at the screen with a sickening smirk plastered on his faceplates.

"Oh yes, femme…_I_ will be your first mech…once you've proven that you can be a Decepticon" Starscream hissed cruelly.


End file.
